Green Tuesday: Eight of Nine Cannabis Initiatives Pass

Voters in California, Nevada, and Massachusetts have legalized adult cannabis use. Ballots are still being counted in Maine, and it looks extraordinarily tight, but the Yes On 1 campaign declared victory early this morning. Arizona voters turned down their recreational cannabis initiative.

Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota, and Montana each voted for either allowing medical cannabis use or expanding their current program.

“This victory in California ensures another 12 percent of the United States population will wake up tomorrow in a state with the legalized adult use of marijuana,” he said in a statement. “Combined with our other recent victories, federal prohibition is truly on its last legs and it is just a matter of time before federal policy is reformed to accept this new reality.”

California was considered a must-win by activists, despite the Proposition drawing the ire of many growers and industry insiders over fears that the program will push out small operations and allow for a new kind of prohibition – pointing out that the law creates new criminal codes that are more onerous than current laws. Nate Bradley, executive director of the California Cannabis Association said the win allows the state to “take its rightful place as the center of cannabis innovation.”